ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Education
Government launches YUVA - Prime Minister’s Scheme For Mentoring Young Authors
Author Mentorship programme to train young and budding authors
Young Writers to pay tribute to heroes of India’s freedom struggle to mark celebrations of India @75
The Ministry of Education, Department of Higher Education today launched YUVA- Prime Minister’s Scheme For Mentoring Young Authors, an Author Mentorship programme to train young and budding authors  in order to promote reading, writing and book culture in the country, and project India and Indian writings globally.
The launch of YUVA  is in tune with PM’s vision to encourage young writers to write about India's freedom struggle. It was during Mann ki Baat on 31 January 2021, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi called upon the young generation to write about freedom fighters, incidents associated with freedom, the saga of valour during the period of freedom struggle in their respective areas - as the best tribute to the heroes of India's freedom - as we celebrate 75 years of Indian Independence.
"This will also prepare a category of thought leaders that will decide the course of the future”, said PM.
YUVA is a part of India@75 Project  to bring to the fore the perspectives of the young generation of writers on themes like Unsung Heroes, Freedom Fighters, Unknown and Forgotten Places and their role in National Movement, and other related themes in an innovative and creative manner. This scheme will thus help to develop a stream of writers who can write on a spectrum of subjects to promote Indian heritage, culture and knowledge system.
The National Book Trust, India under the Ministry of Education as the Implementing Agency will ensure phase-wise execution of the Scheme under well-defined stages of mentorship. The books prepared under this scheme will be published by National Book Trust, India; and will also be translated into other Indian languages ensuring the exchange of culture and literature, thereby promoting 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat'. The selected young authors will interact with some of the best authors of the world; participate in literary festivals etc.
NEP 2020 has emphasised on the empowerment of the young minds and creating a learning ecosystem that can make the young readers/learners ready for leadership roles in the future world. In this context, YUVA will go a long way in laying the foundation of the future leaders of the creative world.
Highlights of YUVA :
- A total of 75 authors will be selected through an All India Contest to be conducted through https://www.mygov.in/ from 1 June - 31 July 2021.
- The winners will be announced on 15 August 2021.
- The young authors will be trained by eminent authors/mentors.
- Under the mentorship, the manuscripts will be readied by 15 Dec. 2021 for publication.
- The published books will be launched on 12 January 2022 on the occasion of National Youth Day .
- A consolidated scholarship of Rs.50,000 per month for a period of six months per author will be paid under the Mentorship Scheme
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID-19 UPDATE
184.52 cr vaccine doses have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
India's Active caseload currently stands at 13,445
Active cases stand at 0.03%
Recovery Rate currently at 98.76%
1,404 recoveries in the last 24 hours increases Total Recoveries to
4,24,92,326
1,260 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours
Daily positivity rate 
Weekly Positivity Rate 
79.02 cr Total Tests conducted so far; 5,28,021 tests conducted in the last 24 hours
Ministry of Cooperation
New Cooperative sector Policy
A National level committee has been constituted on 2nd September 2022 under the chairmanship of Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, consisting of experts of the cooperative sector, representatives from National/ State/ District/ Primary level cooperative societies, Secretaries  and RCSs from States/UTs, officers from Central Ministries/ Departments to formulate the New National Cooperation Policy. The formulation of New National Cooperation Policy will help in realising the vision of 'Sahakar se Samriddhi', promoting the cooperative based economic development model, strengthening the cooperative movement in the country and deepening its reach up to the grassroots. In this regard, consultations were earlier held with stakeholders and suggestions for formulating the new Policy were invited from the Central Ministries/ Departments, States/UTs, National Cooperative Federations, Institutions and also from the general public. The National level committee will analyse the collated feedback, policy suggestions & recommendations to formulate the draft of the new Policy.
The Ministry has undertaken number of initiatives / reforms in the cooperative sector. The list is at Annexure – I.
This was stated by the Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
Ministry of Micro,Small & Medium Enterprises
Arunachal Pradesh School Children to Wear Khadi Face Masks
Thousands of school children in Arunachal Pradesh will be sporting tri-color Khadi Face Masks as they return to their schools for the first time post Covid-19 lockdown. Khadi and Village Industries Commission  has supplied 60,000 high quality Khadi Cotton Face Masks for school children as the Arunachal Pradesh government has decided to reopen schools from November 16.
This purchase order assumes great significance as this is for the first time that a State Government in North East India has purchased such a huge quantity of Khadi face masks for its students. The purchase order was issued on November 3, and in just 6 days, KVIC has supplied the requisite masks to the government considering the urgency involved. In order to ensure timely delivery of masks, KVIC has dispatched the consignment by air.
KVIC has provided double-layered, tri-color Cotton face masks to Arunachal Pradesh Government with its logo suitably placed on the masks. The face masks in tri-color also aims at instilling a sense of nationalism among the students.
KVIC has specifically used Double Twisted Khadi fabric for manufacturing of these masks as it helps retain 70% of the moisture content inside, while providing an easy passage for the air to pass through. These masks are, therefore, skin-friendly and suitable for long duration use. Khadi cotton face masks are washable, reusable and biodegradable.
“The Government of Arunachal Pradesh has decided to open schools for class 10th and 12th from 16th November 2020, and also accorded approval for procurement of 60,000 Khadi Cotton face masks from KVIC for the school children,” the purchase order issued by the State Government said.
KVIC Chairman Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena said the supply of face masks to Arunachal Pradesh Government was accorded top priority as it was meant for the students who will be taking classes from November 16. “This is a prestigious order for KVIC and such big orders create additional job for Khadi artisans. We have supplied the order in just 6 days while ensuring the highest quality standards of face masks,” Saxena said.
Notably, KVIC has sold 23 lakh face masks in just over 6 months since it was launched in April this year. Owing to the comfort and high quality of face masks, KVIC has received several bulk orders including 12.30 lakh face masks from the Indian Red Cross Society. It has also received repeat orders from Rashtrapati Bhavan, Prime Minister’s Office, several State Governments and Central Government Ministries and PSUs apart from the general public.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
India’s Cumulative COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage exceeds 184.06 Cr
Over 1.60 Cr vaccine doses administered for age group 12-14 years
India's Active caseload currently stands at 14,307
1,225 new cases reported in the last 24 hours
Recovery Rate currently stands at 98.76%
Weekly Positivity Rate is presently at 0.23%
India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 184.06 Cr  as per provisional reports till 7 am today. This has been achieved through 2,19,86,205 sessions.
COVID-19 vaccination for the age group 12-14 years was started on 16 March, 2022. So far, more than 1.60 Cr  adolescents have been administered with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
The break-up of the cumulative figure as per the provisional report till 7 am today include:
|
|
Cumulative Vaccine Dose Coverage
|
|
HCWs
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
10403635
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
9999355
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
4455582
|
|
FLWs
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
18413143
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
17508690
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
6858397
|
|
Age Group 12-14 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
16081696
|
|
Age Group 15-18 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
57108229
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
37947928
|
|
Age Group 18-44 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
554549678
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
465540817
|
|
Age Group 45-59 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
202738270
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
185239023
|
|
Over 60 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
126729917
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
115382831
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
11697814
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
2,30,11,793
|
|
Total
|
|
1,84,06,55,005
Following a continuous downward trend, India’s Active Caseload declines to today 14,307 Active cases now constitute 0.03% of the country's total Positive Cases.
Consequently, India’s recovery rate stands at 98.76%. 1,594 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours and the cumulative tally of recovered patients  is now at 4,24,89,004.
1,225 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours.
The last 24 hours saw a total of 6,07,987 COVID-19 tests being conducted. India has so far conducted over 78.91 Cr  cumulative tests.
There has been a sustained fall in the weekly and daily Positivity Rates too. Weekly Positivity Rate in the country currently stands at 0.23% and the Daily Positivity rate is also reported to be 0.20%.
Ministry of Development of North-East Region
Dr. Jitendra Singh says Prime Minister has described Northeast as a new engine of a New India.
Shri KirenRijiju says Hornbill festival a symbol of Northeast India.
The Union Minister of State  for Development of Northeastern Region , Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Pension and Public Grievances, Atomic Energy & Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh today attended the ongoing Hornbill festival at Kisama near state capital Kohima.
Addressing a colourful cultural programme , Dr. Jitendra Singh said Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given the highest priority to Northeast and to state like Nagaland in the last five years. While stating that Prime Minister Modi visited Northeast more than 30 times in five years , Dr. Singh said the Prime Minister has described Northeast as new engine of New India. He said because of the Prime Minister’s personal indulgence and personal outreach, northeastern culture, food, dance and music have reached every part of the country.
While stating that Nagaland has become the ambassador of Northeast for the rest of India through the medium of Hornbill festival, Dr. Singh said today the festival has become a new torch bearer of a new cultural journey of northeast which is going to unite entire India with a message from a state like Nagaland.
Earlier, Union Minister of State  for Youth Affairs & Sports and Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs, Shri KirenRijijualso attended the ongoing Hornbill festival.
Addressing a cultural programme at Kisama , he said the Prime Minister of India is giving special emphasis for Northeastern Region and for the Naga people . He said the Act East Policy is taking shape. Shri Rijiju added that basic infrastructure, which is the foundation for better development, is being laid and in the next few years we will see the result.
Maintaining that Nagaland has the potential to become one of the hub for adventure activities, ShriRijiju said besides sports, his ministry wants to promote adventure activities in Nagaland to ensure that youth are engaged in gainful employment.
Pointing out that Hornbill festival has become a symbol of Northeast India, the Minister also assured to extend help to promote indigenous sports of Northeast.
Various Cultural troupe, dressed in their colourful traditional attires, performed songs and dances during the event.
Prime Minister's Office
Prime Minister’s meeting with President of USA on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Bali
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met President of USA, H.E. Mr. Joseph R. Biden on the margins of G-20 Leaders’ Summit in Bali today.
They reviewed the continuing deepening of the India - US strategic partnership including cooperation in future oriented sectors like critical and emerging technologies, advanced computing, artificial intelligence, etc. They expressed satisfaction about the close cooperation between India and US in new groupings such as the Quad, I2U2, etc.
The two leaders discussed topical global and regional developments. PM Modi thanked President Biden for his constant support for strengthening the India-US partnership. He expressed confidence that both countries would continue to maintain close coordination during India’s G-20 Presidency.
Ministry of Coal
India Achieves Major Success in Coal Import Reduction Despite Increase in Power Demand
India is the world’s third largest energy consuming country and electricity demand grows by 4.7% each year. To reduce the dependence on imports of coal, major reforms have been carried out by the Ministry of Coal with the vision of “Atma Nirbhar Bharat”. The Ministry has also amended the Mineral Concession  Rules, 1960 under MMDR  Act, 2021 to allow lessee of captive mines to sell coal or lignite up to 50% of the total excess production after meeting the requirements of the end-use plant. With this amendment, MoC has paved the way for releasing of additional coal in the market by greater utilization of mining capacities of captive coal blocks which has led to increase in production of coal by
36.06% from 39.15 MT upto Nov 19to 53.27 MT during corresponding period of FY 22. The reforms have led to an increase in domestic production of coal by 9.01% and the overall coal production rose at 447.54 MT upto November 21 as compared to 410.55 MT in the corresponding months of FY 20.
With increase in domestic production of coal, we have achieved significant reduction in import of coal despite surge in power demand. The coal based power generation upto November 2021 is 671.906 BU  with an increase of 5.17% over generation of 638.82 BU during the corresponding period of FY 20. Imported coal based power generation which was 61.78 BU during April to Nov 2019 has reduced by 51.38% to 30.036 BU during corresponding months of current FY 22. Imports of all grades of Non Coking Coal has reduced to 107.36 MT during the period April to November 2021 from a level of 131.51 MT during the corresponding months of the FY 20, leading to a decline of about 18.36%.
The import of Non Coking coal primarily used in power sector has decreased by 57.59% from 46.53 MT to 19.73 MT upto Nov, 2021 in comparison to the same period of FY 20 which has opened the doors to become self-reliant in coal production. The overall import of coal has also reduced to 147.14 MT in the period from April to November 2021 compared to 165.57 MT during the corresponding period of FY 20, a decrease of about 11.13% which has resulted in significant savings of forex reserves this year especially when the coal prices are at a high level in the international market. The government is continuing all efforts to further enhance the coal production in the country as availability of additional coal will aid in import-substitution of coal.
The financial year 2020 -21 is not being taken for comparison purpose due to industrial production getting severely affected during the year because of Covid-19 related restrictions.
Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas
Oil India registers highest ever Net Profit of Rs. 6810.40 Crore since its inception
Oil India Limited , today declared its financial results for FY 2022-23 with a thumping highest-ever net profit since the company’s inception at ₹6,810.40 crore, a surge of 75.20% YoY on the back of higher operating income and growth in oil & gas production.
During the last fiscal, the company also reported the highest-ever pipeline throughput of 8.19 MMT. Also, the highest-ever turnover of Rs 23,272.57 crore, a rise of 60.17% YoY.
It is pertinent to mention here that OIL over the last 6 decades, has continued its journey of growth in oil & gas production from its matured and recently discovered oilfields during the last fiscal, with 5.5% growth in oil production at 3.18 MMT and 4.4% growth in gas production at 3.18 BCM, which scaled another height of registering the highest ever gas production by the company ever since its inception.
The earnings per share  of the company has increased to Rs 62.80/share vs Rs 35.85/share in FY22. OIL Board has declared the final dividend of Rs 5.50 per share with a total dividend of Rs 20/share  for FY23.
As for Q4FY23, the company equally reported improved financial & physical performance over Q4FY22, with turnover growth of 26.15% and PAT increase of 9.71%. Crude Oil and Natural Gas production has also shown growth of 6.95% and 6.27% respectively in Q4FY23 YoY.
With NRL being a group company of OIL, it is worth noting that the company has recorded its highest ever consolidated profit after tax of ₹9,854.39 crores, a growth of 46.66% YoY and a highest ever consolidated turnover of ₹41,038.94 crore for the fiscal, an increase of 36.75% YoY.
NRL continued its remarkable track record and displayed the highest-ever crude throughput of 3,091.37 TMT in fiscal 23 with capacity utilisation of 103 %. The gross refinery margin of NRL for FY23 is US$ 19.86/bbl vis-à-vis US$ 14.33/bbl for the previous year.
About Oil India Limited:
Oil India Limited  is a fully integrated Exploration & Production company in the upstream sector. A Navratna Company, OIL is a state-owned enterprise of the Government of India, under the administrative control of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and is the second largest national oil and gas company in India.
Ministry of Education
Jammu & Kashmir Student Exchange Programme ‘Maitreyi Yatra’ concludes
The closing ceremony of Jammu & Kashmir Student Exchange programme ‘Maitreyi Yatra’ was held at National Bal Bhawan here today. The Student Exchange Programme organized by Ministry of Human Resource development provides a good opportunity for the youth of J&K to be acquainted with culture, language and development story of different parts of the country. Union Minister for Human Resource Development Shri Prakash Javadekar was the chief guest for the function. Minister of State for Human Resource Development Dr. Satya Pal Singh and Shri Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, Education Minister for Jammu & Kashmir also graced the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion Shri Javadekar said the objective of this programme was to integrate the youth of Jammu and Kashmir to the rest of the country and to promote brotherhood and harmony. He applauded the efforts of the students from both the states for actively participating, learning and sharing knowledge with each other. He further congratulated the students of National Bal Bhawan who vacated their rooms for their Kashmiri friends and stayed in their classrooms proving the real spirit of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’.
He added that the government is making a system that will provide equal opportunity to all the students that can contribute to the development of the country. He further assured that 500 children from Delhi Schools will be visiting J&K during summer months.
While addressing the event Shri Singh appreciated the students of J&K that they were able to spread the message of love, peace & harmony which even the government efforts might not have done. Education and learning are the most important processes in today's society as today's youth are tomorrow's leaders.
Speaking on the occasion Shri Bukhari appreciated the efforts of the HRD ministry and expressed his gratitude for conducting the exchange programme as it will strengthen the social fabric of the country. He added that students from Jammu & Kashmir were given a real hug by the students of National Bal Bhawan.
Nearly 500 students of Jammu & Kashmir from Class IX to Class XII along with 50 supervisors visited Delhi on 18th January, 2018. 300 students stayed at National Bal Bhawan and 100 each stayed in two Kendriya Vidyalayas and two Navodaya Vidyalayas.
All 500 students were paired with ten government and one private school where each student had a buddy. J&K students spent 3 days in the paired schools. They also went for Delhi Darshan on 20th January, 2018 with their guiding partners. They visited Zoo, Rajghat, Red Fort and many other places of historical & cultural importance.
The students visited Delhi University, IIT Delhi, Railway Museum, Mother Dairy Plant, Metro ride, Movie in PVR-Vasant Kunj, Magic Show, etc. Students also witnessed the grand celebrations of Republic Day.
Students performed various cultural songs of Jammu and Kashmir. Some glimpses of the Maitreyi Yatra were also shown on the closing ceremony.
Prime Minister's Office
PM pays tributes to former PM Chaudhary Charan Singh on his Jayanti
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has paid tributes to former Prime Minister, Shri Chaudhary Charan Singh, on his Jayanti.
“Remembering Chaudhary Charan Singh Ji on his Jayanti. Unwavering when it came to safeguarding the rights of hardworking farmers, Charan Singh Ji also worked tirelessly for the empowerment of the marginalised. He was at the forefront of strengthening India’s democratic fabric”, the Prime Minister said.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Dr. L. Murugan meets Minister of Railways Shri. Ashwini Vaishnav, requests for broad-gauge railway line from Erode to Palani via Dharapuram
Union Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Dr L Murugan met with the Minister of Railways Shri. Ashwini Vaishnav to discuss new broad-gauge railway line from Erode to Palani via Dharapuram.
It is a long pending demand of people of Dharapuram to have broad gauge railway line for all round development of the people and boost agri-economy of the region.
Dr. Murugan also requested to start a regular express train from Varanasi to Rameshwaram via Kancheepuram. It will help to connect the heritage city Kancheepuram with Ramayan circuit to boost domestic tourism.
Shri. Ashwini Vaishnav gave detailed thought on both the requests during the meeting and assured for all possible help to develop and upgrade railway network in Tamil Nadu.
Saurabh Singh
(Visitor Counter : 797
Prime Minister's Office
PM attends farewell programme hosted for President Shri Ram Nath Kovind in Parliament
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi today attended the farewell programme hosted for President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind in Parliament.
In a tweet the Prime Minister said :
"Earlier today, attended the farewell programme hosted for President Kovind Ji in Parliament. It was attended by Ministers and leaders from various parties."